Avoiding the Bait Monkey

[DitchPanda]

I just said the other day my personal bait monkey is a Silverback guerilla..no finesse or sneaky tricks just pure power and intimidation to get what he wants

I have to agree with Paul Roberts on this... I have ice for 4 to 5 months a year and out spend the other 8 months easily.

Also wanna shout out to Paul..I believe you do the NatureOfFishing channel on youtube...your videos are great..very in depth and informative

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[Crankin4Bass]

7 hours ago, Tizi said:

Here is what mine looks like, I just started it so it could change:

I also keep a similar spreadsheet in google docs so I can also access it on my phone when I’m at a store. I also keep prices paid, retailer, specs, colors, depth, hook sizes, model # and color. I keep separate tabs for each type of bait. 

[Michigander]

20 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

It starts with a single idea and the next thing you know you’re having to add an extra room on the house, or extending the garage out. 

Yeah, the bait monkey can get totallly out of control sometimes. Heaven help your wallet if you are getting into a totally new technique!

[Mbirdsley]

I thought I was done buying tackle but, than I got watching you tube videos about late winter/spring fishing.  I realized I don’t have really tight wobble cranks ( I’m addicted to cranks and jerkbaits any how). Well 2 purchases from eBay and 2 from Walmart I know own 4 shad raps to go with red craw sr05 I allready have.  I’ll be to Walmart next payday to get a couple I wanted but, didn’t want to deal with wife when she looked at the bank account.  So I try to hide them with other purchases.  “Sorry honey big run and prices went up on flowers and chocolate this year Valentine’s Day ya know supply and demand”

[MN Fisher]

25 minutes ago, Michigander said:

Yeah, the bait monkey can get totallly out of control sometimes. Heaven help your wallet if you are getting into a totally new technique!

Every time I even THINK about getting into larger swimbaits, I can hear my bank account screaming in pain.

[Michigander]

1 hour ago, Tizi said:

I need a bass boat.  Do I?  Need?  I have 2 kayaks and a 12 foot smokercraft. but a used boat I can renovate would be sweet.  The monkey doesn't stop at lures...I am betting at some point that monkey is going to get me for that boat.   

[GreenPig]

42 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Every time I even THINK about getting into larger swimbaits, I can hear my bank account screaming in pain.

The really good big bait slingers will often only have a couple rods and a handful of baits. I guess I'm a bad big bait slinger.

[Paul Roberts]

1 hour ago, Bankbeater said:

It starts with a single idea and the next thing you know you’re having to add an extra room on the house, or extending the garage out. 

We laugh! But it's true.

[HenryPF]

I am proud of myself - the bait monkey has been off my back since September of 2019... I did however buy a new boat last week...

[FishTank]

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Every time I even THINK about getting into larger swimbaits, I can hear my bank account screaming in pain.

So the monkey got me on swimbaits finally.  I have been avoiding it until I threw a buddies Savage Gear 8in or maybe 10in swimbait and had a 5 pounder destroy it in open water.  I knew then that the bait monkey had won. 

 

I got hit for a St. Croix Mojo Musky and 13 Fishing Muse Black Swimbait rod> for reels, I got a Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast and a used Shimano Calcutta> baits, 3 Spro's, 6 Savage Gears, 2 Lucky Craft Pointer 180's and 3 Huddlestons> Line, 2 spools of Sunline Defier Armilo 22lb and 25lb.

 

 

[Smells like fish]

I have people say to me that I shouldn't need or want a lure with the variety I have. I am always amazed at that comment. I often reply to them what I have is only a start. Do any of you feel that way? No I don't use all my lures but I feel I'll never know when I'll want to use a certain technique and what size-color-brand-depth I may need so therefore I continue to rub the monkeys belly!!!

[Columbia Craw]

I would print out my spread sheet but that would mean a new ream of paper.  A very good friend of mine decided he wanted to start bass fishing two years ago and joined the club last year.  I told him to come over and go through my gear and get some ideas.  He told me I was ill. I already know that.

[schplurg]

I only have one hobby so I don't mind the monkey - yet. I invite him over for beers sometimes. Thankfully he's a cheap-skate like me, but I'm starting to earn a little more money now. Maybe he won't notice

[ChrisD46]

"One can never defeat the Bait Monkey - you can only hope to co-exist with him" ... I now set a limit of say $50 and then start moving things from my wish list to the cart . Then I go through several rounds of reductions in my cart until I get down to $50 - the rest goes back into my wish list which depending on the season might get called to the cart later and make the final $50 cut .

[RB 77]

 

 

 

[RemyL]

18 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

My method is to have in the back of my mind things I'm looking to buy short or long term. If I see one of those things go on sale it's a no brainer to swoop in and buy, if I see something on sale I didn't really want in the first place it's easy to shrug it off. Only exception is true blowout sales of like 50 percent or more, in that case I'll stock up on stuff I might already have but know I'll use, or maybe I'll try something that would normally be out of my budget if it wasn't on sale. 

 

Again I think it's just having a mental list of things you actually want vs "sure it's on sale but I didn't want that anyways". 

This is my usual method, fishing related or not. If I wasn't actively looking for an item or at least planning the purchase, the sale is for someone else. I may be tempted, but I usually resist. The exception is stuff where I wanted it but thought it was overpriced normally. When it's suddenly at a price I feel is appropriate I'll rethink it. Very often that price has more to do with my budget than a statement about the relative value. I may think an item is absolutely worth the money, but my budget doesn't run to that tier.

 

I've got a google doc of lures and terminal tackle and should probably turn it into a spreadsheet. I started it when I was just starting to build my kit so I wouldn't double buy while things were still in transit.

[haggard]

[Team9nine]

The more you know, the less you throw. Fortunately, I was exposed to some Buck Perry common sense early in the game. I’d guess about 90% of my purchases are now simply ‘restock and replace’ in nature.

[king fisher]

When I was single, the bait monkey  was my best friend he only had the hunting gear monkey for competition.  I drove a junk car, wore rags for clothes,  thought going to KFC was splurging for a Friday night dinner, spent most of my money, and all my spare time fishing or hunting.  Then I got married, and learned that money can be spent at stores that don't even have a tackle section, a heater, good wipers, and brakes that you don't have to pump are all essential items on a car,  restaurants that serves wine are a requirement for a Friday night dinner out, and their is no such thing as spare time.  The bait Monkey is so scared of my wife he only dares show up at Christmas, and my birthday.  The good thing is years of being friends with the bait monkey have left me with more than a lifetime supply of fishing gear.

[Tizi]

5 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

"One can never defeat the Bait Monkey - you can only hope to co-exist with him" ... I now set a limit of say $50 and then start moving things from my wish list to the cart . Then I go through several rounds of reductions in my cart until I get down to $50 - the rest goes back into my wish list which depending on the season might get called to the cart later and make the final $50 cut .

You're talking my language!  A budget.  I like the idea of keeping my bait monkey spend to say $100/month.  This includes poles, reels, etc.  If I want a $200 combo, I have to save for 2 months.  At first I was thinking $50/month...not sure that is reasonable.

[JediAmoeba]

On 2/13/2020 at 6:15 PM, GReb said:

I told my wife last week that I was good on lures this year and didn’t need anything. The next day I ordered a pile of Jackhammers and DT6s. But honestly I did need them

So you lied to your wife???

The worst part is, I KNOW the high percentage things I can catch fish on more often than not...but the moment I go out and don't catch something I find myself going to the local shop or perusing tackle websites and buy something.  Rather than chalk it up to a bad day or approach, I rationalize that it must be my gear.  

[LargeMarge]

10 hours ago, Team9nine said:

The more you know, the less you throw. Fortunately, I was exposed to some Buck Perry common sense early in the game. I’d guess about 90% of my purchases are now simply ‘restock and replace’ in nature.

How have you simplified your tackle?

[Way north bass guy]

I did well today, was at the Toronto spring fishing and boat show with my 10 yr old. Only bought one Duo spin bait and a t-shirt for the kid. Although I did spend $250 at Bass Pro on the way there on a new front pedestal seat for the boat, but it was mostly with Christmas gift cards so I guess technically the bait monkey got my  mother in law ?. 

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, LargeMarge said:

How have you simplified your tackle?

I only stock stuff that has proven itself on the waters I fish, and don’t buy a bunch of other baits that will just do the same thing. On the boat, only keep a handful of different soft plastics on hand, and in just a few basic colors and brands. Just a half dozen spinnerbaits (one brand) because I rarely throw them. Only 1 brand of buzz bait; a couple Spooks, a couple poppers. Five or six frogs (Spro and Booyah). A small 3600 box of jerkbaits, mostly Megabass and Rapala. Cranks are LC squarebills, Bandit shallow runners, Poes/Rapala mid depth and Norman deep.

 

If I hit the water from the bank, it’s just 1 rod and reel and a couple baits tossed into my shirt pocket. You can kind of get an idea from that.

[Smells like fish]

I've heard about all I can take! I'm gonna go lure shopping tomorrow...